Banana Trail Mix Bread
Hearty banana bread made with coconut, oats and whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey. Mix in your choice of chopped nuts and dried fruit for extra sweetness and a bit of crunch. Serve with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey for a substantial breakfast or snack. This bread can be difficult to slice; see notes below for how to make muffins instead.
Overview
- Yield: 10 slices / 1 loaf
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Ingredients
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¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
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½ cup oats
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1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
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¼ teaspoon table salt
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½ teaspoon cinnamon
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¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
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⅓ cup chopped candied ginger
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⅓ cup chopped dried cherries or cranberries
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½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
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¼ cup chopped dark chocolate (about 1 ½ ounces, you may sub chocolate chips)
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½ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
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1 cup mashed ripe banana
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¼ cup honey
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1 large egg, preferably at room temperature
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 tablespoon turbinado (raw) sugar
Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan (see note below on how to make muffins).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in ½ cup shredded coconut, then mix in the chopped ginger, dried fruit, pecans and dark chocolate.
- In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, mashed banana, honey, egg and vanilla.*
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup coconut. Top with a light sprinkle of turbinado (raw) sugar.
- Bake for until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes or longer. Let the bread cool in the pan before slicing. This bread is dense and not very easy to slice; I found that my sharp paring knife worked better than a serrated bread knife.